French railway news – Page 21
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom to supply I-CBTC for more Paris metro lines
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has awarded Alstom a contract to supply its I-CBTC onboard equipment for 44 steel-wheeled MF19 trainsets it is building for use on metro lines 10, 7bis, and 3bis. There are options for a further 47 trains for Line 3, 15 years ...
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NewsAkiem joins autonomous railpod project
FRANCE: Rolling stock leasing company Akiem has signed a letter of intent paving the way for a financial and industrial partnership to develop the Taxirail concept for an autonomous ‘railpod’ ultra light rail shuttle vehicle. The Taxirail concept has been developed in Bretagne by EXID Concept ...
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NewsLe Train eyes Arcachon – La Rochelle TGVs
FRANCE: Taking advantage of the forthcoming liberalisation of domestic passenger services, open access operator Le Train has applied to transport regulation authority ART for powers to run regional high speed services in the southwest.
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NewsCastex agrees to fund Bordeaux – Toulouse high speed line
FRANCE: The French government will contribute €4·1bn to help finance the long-planned high speed line between Bordeaux and Toulouse, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on April 28. Toulouse is France’s fourth largest city and the capital of the Occitanie region. It would be the last major conurbation ...
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NewsProvence – Côte d’Azur upgrade funding agreed
FRANCE: The government has agreed a €3∙5bn funding package to launch the first two phases of the long-planned upgrade of the route along the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Nice, including sections of new line.
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In depthFrance: Regions take on revival of rural routes
Following recent changes in legislation, France’s regional governments have the option of taking control of rural railways within their jurisdiction. Will this reverse the long decline of minor routes and branch lines? Christian Scasso investigates.
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Metro Report InternationalIncreased investment, rolling stock renewals and elimination of diesel buses in Paris operating contract
FRANCE: A 25% increasing in investment is included a €1·6bn/year operating contract for 2021-24 which has been agreed by Paris operator RATP and regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités The agreement covers 14 metro lines, 341 bus routes and eight tram lines, as well as the operation ...
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NewsRemodelled station opens in Canfranc ahead of reopening of cross-border link
SPAIN: On April 15, a RENFE DMU carrying invited guests from Zaragoza became the first train to arrive at the remodelled and relocated station in Canfranc, marking a further step in the long-running plan to reinstate the railway through the Pyrénées mountains linking Pau with Huesca.
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NewsAlstom agrees to RER Line B fleet order
FRANCE: Paris transport authority Île‐de‐France Mobilités and operators RATP and SNCF Voyageurs have reached agreement with Alstom‐Bombardier and CAF, paving the way for construction of the MI20 fleet of electric multiple-units to operate RER Line B. In January, the operators selected a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrams with custom lighting enter service as Paris T9 opens
FRANCE: Île-de-France tram line T9 opened on April 10, connecting Porte de Choisy metro station with Place Gaston Viens in Orly in the southeast suburbs of Paris. T9 runs via Ivry-sur-Seine, Vitry-sur-Seine, Choisy-le-Roi and Thiais. The line is 10·3 km long with ...
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NewsCalais – Mediterranean rail motorway bids called
FRANCE: The government has called for expressions of interest to operate a lorry-carrying train service between the English Channel port of Calais and the Mediterranean port of Sète south of Montpellier.
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NewsSNCF places orders for more hydrogen trainsets
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs has placed orders totalling €190m for Alstom to supply 12 hydrogen-electric multiple-units for use in four regions, with options for a further two trainsets. The operator has placed the orders on behalf of the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie, which have ...
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NewsRule change calls SNCF Réseau investment into question
FRANCE: Management independence and business productivity at infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau are in jeopardy, according to President & Director General Luc Lallemand. Describing a government decision to consolidate SNCF Réseau’s debts into the state accounts as ‘catastrophic’, Lallemand warned that the infrastructure manager would ...
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Metro Report InternationalLyon consults on orbital tram and metro extensions
FRANCE: Lyon transport operator Sytral has started public consultation into two route options for an orbital tram extension in the northeast of the city, as one of several schemes to be developed over the next five years. The T6 Nord project would see the ...
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NewsHydrogen-electric hybrid trains ordered
FRANCE: The first commercial passenger trains in France to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells are expected to enter service in 2024 on routes from Auxerre to Avallon and Corbigny in the Yonne département of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. This follows signing on March 5 of a ...
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NewsRailcoop reaches initial funding target
FRANCE: Not-for-profit co-operative Railcoop confirmed on March 4 that it had achieved its target of raising initial capital of €1∙5m to fund the establishment of an open access freight and passenger operator.
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NewsGrand Est concession attracts ‘good response’
FRANCE: ‘Between four and 10’ companies or consortia have prequalified for a concession to operate a group of branch lines in the Grand Est region, according to the region’s Vice-President responsible for Transport David Valence.
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NewsColas-led consortium to modernise Ligne des Horlogers
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has awarded a consortium of Colas Rail, Colas Génie Civil and Legrand a €22m contract to refurbish a 70 km section of the Ligne des Horlogers route between Besançon and the Swiss border near La Chaux-de-Fonds. This will include 34 km ...
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Metro Report InternationalSmart windows on Paris airport peoplemover
FRANCE: One of the Orlyval shuttles at Paris Orly airport has been fitted with smart LCD windows which show information including flight departures and weather forecasts for the destinations. . The information is specific to the direction of the shuttle, and the operator can also provide ...
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NewsFrench ERTMS installation financing
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has secured more than €31m in grants from the European Commission’s Innovation & Networks Executive Agency and a similar sum in debt financing from Caisse des Dépôts to finance the installation of ERTMS equipment on 252 passenger vehicles and freight locomotives. ...